JUPITER, Fla. ¨C Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera will begin the season on the injured list, with the expectation of missing the first two turns through the rotation, manager Clayton McCullough announced on Tuesday morning.
This marks the second consecutive year that an injury has prevented Cabrera from being in the Opening Day rotation. Last year, it was a right shoulder impingement.
Cabrera, who exited Thursday¡¯s start after 12 pitches due to a blister on his right middle finger, had the nail removed on Friday to expedite his recovery and played catch on Monday. McCullough anticipates Cabrera pitching in a simulated game later in the week.
In each of his four Grapefruit League starts, Cabrera didn¡¯t go deeper than two innings or throw more than 51 pitches.
¡°This felt like to give him a proper ¨C at this point, being down a little bit ¨C to give him a proper build-up where he can hit some innings threshold ¡ get into a rhythm before rejoining us,¡± McCullough said. ¡°With the way it laid out, a couple starts into the season, and then we'll be able to insert him at a point where he's got sufficient build-up and innings to go out there and pitch in a game.¡±
Blisters on that finger have given Cabrera trouble in the past. He landed on the IL for that reason in October 2021, and blisters affected at least three of his starts in ¡®23, including two in which he left early. Cabrera said he also dealt with the blister last season and in his second spring start on March 7 (six runs on four hits and two walks with two hit-by-pitches in 1 2/3 innings).
Options to fill in for Cabrera include right-hander Valente Bellozo and Marlins No. 13 prospect Adam Mazur, both of whom were optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville earlier in camp. Another candidate is Tuesday¡¯s Grapefruit League starter, Connor Gillispie.
Gillispie, who was claimed off waivers from the Braves on Jan. 29, has made just three Major League appearances (no starts) in his career. All of them came last season with the Guardians (two runs over eight innings).
Entering Tuesday, the 27-year-old Gillispie had yet to allow a run in eight Grapefruit League innings spanning four outings.
¡°Certainly an option,¡± McCullough said. ¡°He threw well the other day. We've got him stretched out, kind of lined up in [Cabrera¡¯s] spot. So we've got that, and some of those guys that have been optioned. They're staying on course with their ability to stay stretched out. We'll get to that point [and] make a determination here as we get towards the end.¡±